Surprise Weekday Getaway

Last week, Noa told me to make sure that I kept my Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday clear of plans because we would be leaving for a surprise getaway!  Since Noa will be leaving soon for his deployment and we hadn't really celebrated our 7th anniversary, Noa thought it would be a good idea to "get away from it all" and spend some quality time together.  

So, on the way to the airport, Noa told me that we'd be heading to a nearby island called Ishigaki and spend 3 days at the Kabira Club Med resort!  I couldn't believe it!

We had a wonderful time enjoying the sun, the beach, the food, the entertainment - everything.  The resort was all inclusive, and although it offered many activities, we spent the majority of the time laying beachside.

Here we are in front of the resort, just outside the main entrance.  You can see the pool and then further on, the beach!

Noa takes a walk on the beach.  The buildings you see are some what the outside of the guest rooms look like.  Also, you'll notice that it's quite green - very different than our "concrete jungle" in Okinawa.

The beach was awesome: white sand, padded beach chairs, not crowded, and umbrellas.  Here is Team Juloa taking a self portrait.

We both loved the food.  Noa loved that every meal was an all-you-can-eat buffet.

We both found this sign outside the nail salon area quite amusing and no, we did not take advantage of this special.

And finally, a photo of the two of us on our last night there.

Green Mail

I received a surprise package in the mail the other day.

Apparently, I've made my point in communicating my desire to clean more "green" and the difficulties of doing so in Okinawa through this blog.  So, my friend Vanessa decided to help me out for my birthday.  The package was stuffed with Method products, which I love.  They smell so good and made it without leaking everywhere!  I especially love the biodegradable wipes and the soy candle. 

Thanks, Vanessa!  I love it!!

Doggie Bar

Okinawans love small dogs.  Mostly, I see dachshunds, poodles, and shiba inus around town.  Occasionally, I'll be surprised to find a local Okinawan walking a golden retriever or a rottweiler, but this is definitely the minority.  It's mostly the Americans who, along with their large furniture, families, and vehicles, usually bring large breed dogs to the island.  And even though I own 2 of the greatest* toy dogs in the world, my heart has always been with large breeds.  I plan to someday adopt a big black dog to add to my pack.

So, you'll imagine my delight at finding this beauty the other night while walking by some restaurants and bars along the seawall with Noa, Meghan, and Joe:

The owners of this Bernese beauty also own a small Oki mutt and a mini Schnauzer.  This pack of dogs "hang out" at the bar where the owners work.  After talking with them a little, they invited me to bring my own pups to the bar for a meet up.  So, it looks like in the near future I'll be bringing my dogs for a playdate at a bar. How crazy is that?!

*Obviously, this is my opinion, but if anyone has met them, you know friendly and loving both Sadie and Gunnar can be.

More Fun Online

My friends at IG Post introduced me to a fun website. 

 Look what I made:

And another one:

If you want to make your own "motivational posters", go to http://wigflip.com/automotivator/.  I'm warning you now, it's addicting!

Eggs

I don't know if this is a Japanese thing, or an Okinawan thing, but they love eggs.  So much so that they put fried eggs on top of almost anything.  

If you order a steak at a restaurant, you'll get it with an egg on top.

Fried rice or noodles?  Yep, gotta top it off with an egg.

What about a burger?  Um, of course!

So, I don't know why I still am amazed at how eggs are continually used to top off food items here.  At least with this one, both the egg and muffin are considered breakfast foods.

Another example of an "egg" dish:

Twins!

As Noa and I prepare for his upcoming deployment, we have had to make a few purchases. This one is my favorite. Now my MacBook doesn't have to sit alone. Aren't they cute?

And bonus, they coordinate with our iPods.  We're so chic.

A Curried Birthday

As most of you know, I love curry. So, what better way than spend my birthday eating a delicious curry dinner at a little Nepalese place right on the China Sea!? That's what we did and it was grand.

Here's Team Juloa on the eve of my 29th:

My curry set: 2 kinds of curry, salad, soup, dessert, naan, and a beverage. Yum!

Noa loves naan bread as much as I do.

Two's A Crowd

Apparently the dogs want more than collars for their birthdays.  I think they'd like a bigger bed for the window.

Done! And Other News

Okay, okay, I know I've been absent from the blog. It's mostly because of school.  I finished out the school year on Thursday and spent all day Friday packing up my classroom with my new para.  As excited as I am for the summer (and much needed break), it's also very sad to see the school year end.  I had to say more sad good-byes to staff members and good friends.  Packing up the room is like packing up memories and I missed having Teresa around.

  But, it's also a time to start thinking about the summer and upcoming school year.  Tate, my new para (I call her Tate, but that's not her first name), and I have big plans.

Here's the last look at the packed up room from this year:

In other news, the dogs got some new collars for their birthdays (Sadie turned 5 in May, Gunnar turns 3 in late June).  In honor of Noa's upcoming deployment, the dogs have official military camo collars to show their support:

I also got them "hound collars" which will be used during our morning walks.  They have a wider base, so hopefully Gunnar won't choke himself as easily.  Here is Sadie showing off hers in a pink skulls fabric.

With the onset of summer comes the mass exodus of the DoDDS teachers here on island.  So, most of our friends leave.  I found time to get together with the girls for one last Cocok's run before summer break.  Here are my toes with some Japanese cherry blossoms:

Pictured toes below: Tritia and daughter Sophia, Jennifer, and Laura.  I love how Tritia and Sophia got matching designs.  Cute! 

Finally, Team Juloa celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary!  Well, actually we didn't get to celebrate yet since I was working during most of my waking hours.  But, tonight we'll have dinner out in honor of the occasion.  Noa sent a beautiful bouquet to school.  I've decided that my new favorite flower is the peony.  They are so big and beautiful!

An Unfortunate Mail Surprise

I have a secret joy: I love getting the mail.

It may be because I don't get to do it very often, since our mailbox is located on the base where Noa works.  In Florida, I would often check our mailbox twice a day (just in case...).

It may be due to my enjoyment of online shopping.

Or it may just be that mail serves as a connection to "the outside world" for me.  

I love getting the mail.  Yeah, I'm strange, I know.

Today I got to check it since I was at a training at a different base than Kinser.  To my surprise and delight, we had some packages.  Unfortunately, this was what I was handed at the counter:  a wet box in pieces in a sealed bag.  Greeeeeaaaatttt.

Here's the culprit: Method shower cleaner.  The bottle is empty.

I could file a claim, but over something that is only $4, it's not really worth it to me.  Everything else in the package was unaffected by the apparent leak.  Well, so much for trying to clean greener...

Why Summer Break Can't Come Fast Enough...

...my first gray hair!  Oh no!

Only two and a half weeks left!

Good Distractions

Friday was a sad day for me because I had to say good-bye to Teresa as my para in Kindergarten.  Although she's not flying out for a couple of weeks, she won't be working in the classroom anymore and I know that I'll have to say a real good-bye soon.

However, of all the times for this to happen, it was a weekend full of lots of good distractions.  First, we attended the hospital ball on Friday night.  It was my first military ball and although it kind of reminded me of prom, it was actually pretty fun!  

 

The dashing couple:

Me and Meg posing pretty:

And posing silly:

A little blurry, but a fun one of the Hammers and Capps:

The following night we went to Paddy Macs out in town to celebrate our friend Jonas' birthday.  Paddy Macs is an Irish pub out in town that was also celebrating St. Patrick's Day in May because we were under restriction during the real St. Patrick's Day.

Noa and I get into the St. Patty's Day spirit:

The guys: Jonas (the birthday boy), Noa, and Joe...

...and the girls!

Finally, my other distraction was at home...the puppers!  I caught them being cute.

Farm Day!

Today was this year's Farm Day in Kindergarten.  Farm Day is basically a culminating activity that incorporates our unit of "Down on the Farm" and fun activities.  The students (& teachers as you can see from the photo of both Teresa and myself above) dress as farmers and participate in different stations outside.  For example, at one station the students get to "milk" a cow (okay, so it's a fake cow, but it's still cute).  In another station, the students wash clothes using washboards.  

One station had the Piggy Pie Eating Contest.  At that station, 2 students had to eat some whipped cream off a plate without using utensils or their hands.  Teresa and I decided to battle it out ourselves after seeing the students have a blast.

The winner!  Teresa was too dainty.  I was the non-graceful one and dove right in.

One of my students gives me a congratulatory hug afterwards.

On a totally separate note, you may have noticed the lovely buildings in the background.  These are the apartment towers on you'll find on all the Marine Corps bases over here.  Lovely, aren't they?  These are where many of my students live and Noa and I would most likely live if we had chosen to live on base.  But, that was a big NO because you aren't allowed to have dogs in the towers.

Had To

Today I took Teresa out for a belated birthday treat: getting a pedicure at Cocok's!  Of course, I had to get mine done as well.  As usual, it was a splendid visit.

Weekend Roundup

Guess who celebrated her 5th birthday this weekend?  Sadie!  Since she's our treat girl (Gunnar will take treats, but prefers to de-stuff toys) I gave her all kinds of goodies, including peanut butter filled Kongs, raw chicken*, and soft Buddy Biscuits (the favorite).  

And here's my beautiful birthday girl!  She's looking good, even if she has grayed so early.  Many people assume she's an older dog due to all the gray on her muzzle.  I think she just wants to look distinguished.  

In other news, I found out that a couple of my pictures this school year were published in the Pacifica, a publication that features pictures from DoDDS schools in the Pacific region.  I thought it was exciting because not only do I get credit for the photo, but the blurb by the picture states, "In Mrs. Hammer's class...."  

I bought a small piece of furniture this weekend.  Now, I finally have a table next to my big chair in the living room.  So far, I've only put our remotes in here and put some magazines on top, but I'm looking forward to working the piece into the room.  Look at all that storage!

Finally, this weekend is also Mother's Day and my grandfather's 80th birthday.  So, I just wanted to publicly thank both my mom and Noa's mom for being exemplary moms in so many ways.  They are both women of strong character and are both so giving. We love you!

Me & My Mom

Noa's Mom & Dad

And to my grandfather: Happy Birthday, Papa!  Wishing you many more years of health and happiness! Love you!

*If you're wondering why I feed my dog raw chicken, read this: Top 50 Most Asked BARF Questions

Shoes

I forgot to blog about the cool shoes I got in Hong Kong.  They are perfect for a Kindergarten teacher and make me feel like I'm a walking children's book.  I love 'em!

Birthday Bash

This weekend Meghan celebrated her 29th birthday in style!  She hosted a great party.  Here she is with her cookie cake labeled with the party's theme: The Not 30 Yet Party!

The set-up was so fun (and thankfully, the weather was GORGEOUS)!  Meg and Joe rented a cabin (that overlooked the ocean and beach) and a bounce house (which was not limited to just the kids).  There was a ton of food, cute decorations, games, music, and people.  It doesn't get much better than that!  

A close up of the bounce house, which was entirely too much fun.  I laughed like a little kid again and I think I got a cardio workout at the same time.

Actually, 3 people were celebrating birthdays this weekend.  Here are the birthday folks (left to right) Jonas, Meghan, and Rebecca.

As an additional gift for Meghan, Joe grew a mohawk for the occasion.  It was awesome.  If only the military would allow him to keep it.  

Happy birthday, Megs.  Thanks for letting us share the occasion with you!